Stoker



0. MOELLER Sept 24, 1940.

STOKER Filed Dec. 18, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 0H0 Moeller ORNEYS O.- MOELLER STOKER Sept. 24, 17940.

mad Dec. 18, 19s? Y INVENTOR Ollo Moe/[er BY J yATr rfa Patented Sept. 24; 1940 UNITED STATE STOKER Otto Moeller, Brooklyn, N. Y., .assignor to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a

corporation of Delaware Application December 18,1937, serial Ne. 180,506

2 Claims.' (Cl. 198-15") My invention relates to stokers and particularly to stokers wherein a fuel receiving trough is movably mounted beneath a fuel bin and arranged to receive fuel therefrom through an opening in the fuel bin floor. 7

In constructions of this kind, it is usual to provide a sealing frame between the marginal edges of the opening in the binfloor and the open upper end of the stoker trough and it is an object of the present invention to provide in such construction an improved mounting arrangement of a sealing frame that is simple in construction, easily installed and that will permit the sealing frame to move freely with the stoker'trough in any direction in a horizontal plane.

It is another object of the invention to provide in stoker installations of this kind, an improved construction and combination of elements, whereby the sealing frame between the fuel bin and the stoker trough is freely movable in any direction in a horizontal plane with the stoker trough and is arranged to eliminateleakage of fuel between the opening in the fuel bin floor and the sides of the trough as relative movement between the trough and fuel bin occurs. g Y I With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, the combination of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustratedin the accompanying drawings; in which:'

Fig. 1 is a'longitudinal verticalsection through adjacent portions of a locomotive and tender with a stoker. shown in elevation, applied thereto embodying a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, illustrating a modified form of the invention; i

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

The invention has for purposes of illustration been shown applied to a stoker on a locomotive and tender, it being of particular advantage in such an installation; however, it will be'evident from the following description that the invention is equally applicable to other types of stoker in- I stallations.

Referring now tojFigs. 1, 2 and 4, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, a lo-- comotive is indicated generally by the numeral I0 and comprises a boiler backwall ll having a-fuel feed opening I2 therethrough, and a cab deck l3 extending rearwardly from the backwall I l below 'The fuel bin floor is provided with a central be closed when desired by a slidably mounted plate 25!; arranged to be drawn forwardly beneath thetender deck 58 to provide an opening of a desired size. 2 .1 1

Fuel is conveyedforwardly from the tender to the fuel feed opening l2 by astoker, indicated as a whole by the numeral 2|. The stoker 2iincludes a transfer conduit 22 mounted at its rear 1 ward end in the compartment 23 beneath the fuel bin l6 and a forwardly and upwardly extending discharge conduit 24 communicating at its lower end with the forward end of the transfer conduit 22"and-at its upper end with the-fuel feed opening 12.

The transfer conduit 22 comprisesan open mouth trough 25, arranged toreceive fuel from the bin 16 through the opening l9, and a tubular portion comprising the telescopically connected conduit sections 26 and 21. The conduit'section 26 is rigidly secured at its rearwardend with the forward end of the trough 25, and the conduit section 21 is universally connected, as at 28, with the lower end of the discharge conduit 24.

The transfer conduit 22 is substantially straight along'the vertical medial plane of its bottom -inside'surface and a screw conveyor 29 mounted in the transfer conduit advances fuel therethrough to the discharge conduit 24. The conveyorscrew ticular description. The fuel is elevated through ,the discharge conduit 24 in a manner well known in the art, to the fuel feed opening I2, where it is received by suitable distributing means, well known in theart, and projected in aerial paths over the fire. l

The mounting arrangement for the trough 25 provides for lateraliswinging movement thereof about a vertical axis and vertical swinging movement thereof about a transverse horizontal axis when relative movement between the locomotive and tender occurs, as in rounding curves or passing over switches andturntables. The mounting arrangement includes a plate 3| rigidly fastened a pair of laterally spaced blocks 33 and 34, as by the fuel feed opening i2. A tender indicated generallyvbythe numeral 14 comprises a frame l5 and a fuel bin I6 spaced thereabove and having a.fioor "forming a continuation of the tender deck [8.

longitudinally extending opening I9, which may the bolts 35. The adjacent upper portions of the blocks 33 and 34 are recessed as at 36 and 31, the upright walls 38 and 39 defining the recesses being curved and formed on the same radius.

A support member 40 is provided with a base 4| having an annular periphery fitting in the recesses 36 and 31 closely against the upright walls 38 and 39 that define the said recesses. The support member 49 can thus be rotated about the vertical axis of the base 4|, being at the same time fixed against bodily displacement in a horizontal plane. The support member 40 also comprises a pair of diverging arms 42 and 43 extending upwardly from the base 41 and spaced diametrically opposite each other adjacent the periphery of the base 4|. The free ends of the arms 42 and 43 are provided with the arcuate indentations 44 and 45 in which are rotatably mounted the shafts 46 and 41, carried by and extending outwardly from the opposite lower sides of the trough 25. The trough '25 is thus pivotally supported by'the support member 40 for movement about a horizontal,

transverse axis and is movable with the support member 40 about the vertical axis of its base 4 I.

Since the trough 25 is movably mounted on the tender and therefore assumes various relative positions with respect to the opening I9 in the fuel bin floor 11, through which fuel drops into in the fuel bin floor I! and extends downwardly from a position immediately beneath the fuel bin floor into the upper portion of the trough 25 closely adjacent the walls thereof.

The sealing ring 48 is substantially rectangular in shape, having vertical side and end walls 49 .and 50, respectively, flaring side and end walls 5! and 52, respectively, forming upwardly extending continuations of the vertical side and end walls 49 and 50, and horizontal flanges 53 and 54 extending outwardly from the upper edges of the flaring side and end walls 51 and 52, respectively, The upper edges of the flaring side and end walls open upper end of the trough is out of register with the opening l9, fuel will not escape but will .fall on the flaring side and end walls 5| and 52 and be directed into the trough. A small space 55 is provided between the horizontal flanges 53 and 54 of the sealing ring and the underside of the fuel bin floor so that the sealing ring can move freely with the trough 25 without contacting the underside of the fuel bin floor.

Longitudinally extending brackets 56 and 51 rigidly secured by suitable means, as by bolts 58, to the side walls 59 and 66, respectively of the compartment 23 are provided for supporting the sealing ring 48. In the upper surface of the horizontally projecting arm 6| of the bracket 56 are formed the spherical indentations 62, one near the forward end and one near the rearward .end of the sealing ring 48. In the indentations 62 are mounted ball members 63 on which rests a horizontal flange 53 of the sealing ring.48. Similarly, in the upper surface of the arm 64 of the bracket 51 are formed the spaced spherical indentations 65 in which are mounted ball members 66 and on which ball members rests the other horizontal flange 53 of the sealing ring 48. The sealing ring 48 is thus freely movable in any direction in a horizontal plane as relative movement between the trough 25 and the fuel bin occurs.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification of the means for movably supporting the sealing ring on the supporting brackets. The construction in all other respects is identical with that of the preferred form of the invention and is therefore not described to avoid unnecessary repetition. In'this construction casters 10 and H, mounted in the holes 12 and 73 in the horizontal flanges of the sealing ring and resting on the support brackets provide for movement of the sealing ring in. any direction in a horizontal plane as relative movement between the trough and fuel binoccurs.

I claim:

1. In a tender having a frame and a fuel bin having a floor with an opening therein, a compartment beneath said fuel bin and above said frame, a stokerfuel trough movably mounted on said frame and in said compartment with reference to movement about a vertical axis, a sealing frame having upstanding walls surrounding said opening and extending downwardly from the underside of said fuel bin floor into said trough adjacent the upper wall portions thereof and a peripheral flange at the upper end of said upstanding walls extending outwardly therefrom beneath the fuel bin floor, the upper surface of said peripheral flange being spaced from the fuel bin floor so that the sealing frame is movable with said trough in a horizontal plane without contacting the underside of said floor, said sealing frame being arranged to swing laterally with said trough, a pair of laterally spaced brackets, one at each side of said trough secured to a respective upright wall of said compartment and anti-friction means interposed between said sealing frame and said brackets arranged to permit fsaid sealing frame to move freely in any direction in a horizontal plane.

2. In a tender having a frame and a fuel bin having a floor with an opening therein, a compartment beneath said fuel bin and above said frame, a stoker fuel trough in said compartment movably mounted on said frame with reference to movement about a vertical axis, a pair of laterally spaced brackets, one at each side of said trough secured to a respective upright wall of OTTO MOELLER. 

